


Scarefest

by orphan_account



Category: IT (2017)
Genre: (Much), M/M, horror fics, no losers were harmed in the making of this fic, only ocs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-05 14:12:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16369139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Richie is dragging Eddie to Scarefest, a Halloween event a theme park that includes six haunted houses and plenty of tacky jump scares. Eddie had been reluctant to go and when he starts seeing real dead bodies he realizes that there are worse things than fake blood and outdated props.Scarefest just got a lot scarier.





	1. Chapter 1

“I don’t want to go to this fucking thing.” Eddie said, leaning against Richie to brace out the cold. It was a chilly night, only 50 degrees, and it had just started. They were waiting in line and Eddie was already freezing, trying to use his taller friends as windbreakers. Most of the losers were busy- though Eddie suspected that Mike & Stan were lying about needing to help out with a bar mitzvah for Stan’s cousin- who’s bar mitzvah started at 8pm on a Saturday? - so Eddie and Richie were there with Bill, Audra and Audra’s friends, Roy and Taylor. 

“It’ll be fun!” Richie told him. “Scary witches, lots of blood and gore. Just like a night with your mom.”

“Beep beep asshole.” Eddie said, wrapping his arms around himself. “I hate being scared.” He said grumpily. He hadn’t wanted to come but Richie had pleaded and cajoled until he agreed. 

“Eddie, it probably won’t even be that scary.” Audra told him reassuringly. “It’s a horrorfest at an amusement park, how bad can it be? It’ll probably have some fake looking severed limbs and cornstarch blood.”

“Then why is there a waiver?” He shot back. The piece of paper was burning a hole in his pocket, a reminder that this was a bad idea.

“B-because of that girl who died last year.” Bill chimed in. “Remember?” 

Audra nodded, her hand wrapped in Bill’s as he blew on it, trying to warm her up. “It was in the paper, right?”

“Yea, she was found at the end of the night. Someone had strung her up to look like a prop so people walked past her all night.” Roy said.

“But they caught the person that did it.” Richie added, glaring at the others, silently telling them to shut up. “It was her ex. So nothing will happen this year. Besides,” Richie took the chance to pull Eddie close, wrapping his arms around him. “I’ll protect you from all the things that go bump in the night.”

Eddie let himself lean against his friend, just for a second, stealing his body heat. Then he moved away and said, “You’d be useless in a horror situation. You’re too loud and you can’t  run for shit.”

Everyone laughed and Richie nodded. “Fine, true. You’ll need to protect me then Eds.” 

“I’ll think about it.” He said, smiling up at his friend. 

Who grinned back. “That’s all I ask.” 

They were finally at the front of the line, everyone handed over their payment and waiver and was ushered inside. 

Eddie took in the scene in front of him. They were at an amusement park, an hour south of Derry. Roller coasters framed the edges and he could see a tilt a whirl and other rides ahead. But currently, it was decorated for Scarefest. Cobwebs were in every corner and paper mache ghosts swooped down on people. There were people dressed up and popping out of corners, ready to scare passerbys.

Eddie breathed a sigh of relief. “This isn’t too bad.” He said, looking around at the poorly maintained props and kitschy decorations. 

“No, it kinda sucks.” Taylor said, looking around unhappily. 

“I bet the houses will be better.” Audra said hopefully. There were six houses, all different themes- carnival, insane asylum, witches den, slaughterhouse, nuclear fall out, and zombie.

“Where should we start?” Roy asked, looking around and drawing Taylor close as she shivered. 

Eddie envied the ease of their relationship. Roy and Taylor had been together since they were 13 and no one doubted that they were in it for the long haul. Bill and Audra were newer, they had started dating over the summer, once Bill finally got up the guts to ask her out.  Eddie and Richie, on the other hand, were stuck in an endless cycle of flirting and denial. Every time something almost happened one of them would draw back, scared about what it would change. 

At least that was Eddie’s interpretation of what they had. It was possible that Richie didn’t like him at all. All he knew was that they were surrounded by couples and that Richie had spent the cramped car ride offering to let Eddie squeeze whatever body part of his he wanted. 

“I heard the witches one is the least scary, should we start there?” Bill suggested and the group nodded, picking their way through the crowd and towards the house. 

The house was all black, with animatronic ghosts hanging out the windows and a CD of scary sounds playing. Eddie was starting to relax, none of this was as scary as the promos made it sound.  The made their way through the line, talking comfortably. Eddie was still cold and Richie must have noticed, he wrapped his arms around Eddie, pulling him closer.

“No one likes cold Spaghetti,” He said, his words tickling Eddie’s ear. 

“You and your damn nicknames,” Eddie said, turning to listen to Roy talk about the last football game. As he tried to listen he felt a prickle on his neck, feeling like someone watching him. He ignored it for a minute but then couldn’t. Turning slowly he looked behind him, trying to convince himself that he was just imagining things. But he wasn’t. 

From the corner of the house he saw a figure dressed in all black who was clearly watching them. They had a weird retro clown mask covering their face and a hoodie pulled tight to hide any hair. As they saw Eddie looking they raised a gloved hand, wiggling fingers at him as a hello. Eddie frowned and ignore them, turning back to his friends. Of course the actors could tell who was the most scared and would single them out. Just his luck. 

The group made it to the entrance and were immediately forced to pick from two different tracks. It  was an old tunnel of love, they’d be in rickety boats that guided them through the attraction.

“We’ll see you on the other side!” Bill called as Audra dragged him left.

Taylor laughed. “They just want to make out,” She said, getting into the front seat with Roy.

Eddie and Richie crawled behind them. “Who would want to make out in a haunted house?” He asked, looking around. It was decorated as a house, black curtains were draped about and it was illuminated with LED candles.

“Them,” Richie said, pointing to their friends, who were already sucking face in the front seat.

Eddie wrinkled his nose. “Gross, can you imagine how many diseases this place has?” He looked down, frowning.  “This is probably gray water.”

“You think everything is gray water Eds,” Richie said, putting an arm around him. “Just relax and enjoy the cheap thrills.” 

The ride lurched as they started moving forward and they were surrounded by fog and a soundtrack of creeks and screams. They wound their way through the house, each room a different scene. The first was witches on Halloween, offering eyeballs and guts to unsuspecting kids.

“We should do that for Halloween Eds,” Richie said, leaning over and whispering in his ear. “Peeled grapes and everything.”

“My mom would kill us.” Eddie told him, leaning into Richie’s arm, telling himself that it was so he could hear Richie better. 

“No, later. When we all live together.” The losers were planning on all going to the same college and rent a house. Richie was the most invested in it, talking about all the things they could buy. Eddie wasn’t sure it would happen- he wasn’t even sure if he’d be going to college- but he wasn’t going to be the one to say it.

“Sure Richie, in college.” He turned to look at the newest room. The witches had strung their victims up by their hands, getting ready to sacrifice them. All had their mouths and eyes covered.  Blood dripped down from various cuts and wounds, pooling on to the floor. Most of the victims were clearly mannequins and the witch actors crowded around them, pretending to slice them open as they cackled. But as Eddie looked he swore that he could see one of them breathing. 

He leaned over the edge, watching as the person struggled. And again, the person in the clown mask appeared, now wearing the robes of a witch. They put a finger to their lips, telling Eddie to be silent as they approached the victim, who seemed to be trying to scream. 

“Richie! Look!” Eddie cried, pointing to the figure. “I think that’s a real person!” 

Richie squinted where Eddie pointed and shrugged. “Yea she looks real. That’s part of the act Eds, some are real actors.” He said before turning back and looking to the next room.

But Eddie turned around in the seat, watching in horror as the clown plunged a knife into her chest, pulling it down viscerally. Hot blood and guts rushed out, falling to the floor and Eddie cried out. 

“What?” Richie asked, now turning around but it was too late. They were already in the next room, the door to that one closing behind him. 

“She- she died. I think. I watched her-” Eddie started, trying to explain what he had seen. 

But Richie interrupted. “Eds, it’s a haunted house. Nothing is real, remember?” Richie said. “Unless you’re also worried about them summoning a demon using eye of newt.”

“No- it’s just,” Eddie looked back once more but he couldn’t see anything. It was nothing, he tried to convince himself. There was no way that was a real person. It had to be fake. But he couldn’t get the image out of his head. Richie seemed to sense that he was shaken, he pulled Eddie a little closer and started rambling about his newest band and all the names they had come up with. 

The ride ended in Hell, the witches had summoned the devil and brought him to earth. “You know, maybe we should let the devil take a shot for a while. Might be better.” Roy commented as he crawled out of the cart. Eddie was pretty sure that was the only thing he had seen in the house, his face had been attached to Taylor’s the whole time.

Eddie glanced back at the house once more, still shaken but tried to listen as his friends discussed the next house. He couldn’t have actually witnessed a murder, that was ridiculous. Richie was probably right, it was part of the act. 

They found Bill and Audra and decided to do the zombie house next. There were actors chasing you through it so the objective was to make it through quickly, which Eddie didn’t mind one bit. The sooner they got through the houses the sooner they could leave. 

As they walked the other’s discussed how much the witch house sucked but Eddie was still distracted. Richie seemed to notice and hung back, walking next to him.

“Are you okay?” 

Eddie gave a vague head nod. “I keep thinking about that body. What if it was real- what if I could have helped?” Especially when everything else in the park had been passably shitty, having a real body strung up seemed strange.

He could tell that Richie didn’t believe him and that he didn’t see a reason to worry but, to his credit he didn’t say any of that. “Do you want to ask the staff to check it out?” 

Eddie thought about it then shook his head, Richie was probably right. He couldn’t imagine talking to the staff and telling them he thought he saw someone being murdered, they would just laugh at him. 

“Do you want to leave?” Richie asked. “We don’t have to stay.”

Eddie appreciated Richie’s offer but shook his head. “No, you’re right. I’m overthinking it.” He gave Richie a small smile and resolved to try and forget what he had seen.

They were at the zombie house now. It was covered in signs that read ‘Stay out- infected inside’ and ‘Enter at your own risk’ as well as bright yellow caution tape. 

Roy nodded approvingly. “This on looks better.” He said as they got in line. “At least it’ll have real people and not just mannequins.” 

The line moved quickly and soon they were ushered in. It was a big open room, pitch black except for some black lights.

“RUN!” The attendant shouted at them, shutting the door and blocking out the last of the light. They were plunged into complete darkness and Eddie blinked, trying to make his eyes adjust faster.  He could hear groaning and shuffling, like things were moving closer to them. 

Eddie clung to Richie’s arm and whispered, “Don’t lose me, okay?”

Richie slipped his hand in Eddie’s. “Never.” 

He felt someone’s hand graze his back and jumped, making Richie laugh as they started through the house. They lost the others instantly, the maze-like layout was too big to keep track of the others. 

Eddie kept hearing people next to them and felt hands on him several times, trying to pull him back but Richie kept a firm grip on him. They wound through narrow halls and large open rooms. Besides the darkness the house wasn’t too bad, there weren’t many jump scared because it was hard to see things. Occasionally, a flashlight or lamp appeared with a zombie tied up next to it, snarling at the boys. But overall Eddie preferred this house. He hadn’t seen anything weird or out of place and was starting to relax, enjoying the warmth of Richie’s hand in his. 

Finally they came to a tunnel that they had to crawl through, signalling that they were nearly through. “I’ll go first.” Richie offered and Eddie nodded, trying to watch as Richie’s dark form disappeared. “Okay come on Eds.” He called from the other end. 

Eddie started to crawl in but as he did he felt something grab his foot, trying to pull him back. He turned back, about to yell at the zombie but couldn’t the tunnel was too small. He scrambled, trying to crawl forward but he couldn’t get a hold of anything, the plastic was too slick. 

Panic rose in his chest as he lost precious inches. “Richie!” He cried out, feeling himself slide back. He tried to tell himself that it was just an actor but then he felt someone grab his other leg, giving him a yank. Eddie fell, his chin hitting the tube painfully. 

“Richie!” He screamed again, trying to kick himself free but he couldn’t, the grip was too solid. He didn’t know how long the tunnel was or if Richie had already moved on. 

“Come with us,” One of the figures teased. It sounded muffled, like they were speaking through a mask. “Your friend won’t mind.”

“You’ll make an excellent snack.” The other added. He heard the click of teeth on the last word. He could feel his armpits tingling with sweat as he tried again to pull himself forward. But now they were just playing with him, letting him gain a few inches only to pull him back again. 

“Eddie!” Richie was in front of him, holding his hands out. He must have turned around because he was facing Eddie. Eddie grabbed for Richie and Richie pulled him roughly, breaking the grip that the others had. 

They tumbled out of the tube and onto the floor, Eddie landing on Richie. He scrambled up and looked at the opening, worried the pursuers would follow but nothing came out. He wanted to breath a sigh of relief but felt like it was short lived. 

“Thanks,” He said, offering Richie a hand while still keeping an eye on the tunnel. His heart was pounding against his ribs and he wanted to get out. 

“Of course. Are you okay?” Richie asked, accepting Eddie’s hand. Eddie pulled him up, he didn’t need to see Richie’s face to know that he was concerned. 

Actors, they were actors. Eddie reminded himself. Everyone here was an actor. They’re supposed to scare you. That’s the whole point. 

He took a deep breath. “I’m fine, let’s just- let’s get out of here.” 

They were nearly at the end, only needing to pass one large open room that was made to look like a cemetary. Richie was holding Eddie’s hand again, gripping it tightly. Eddie jumped every time a zombie popped out from behind a tombstone, letting out little squeaks. Richie didn’t laugh this time. 

Finally Eddie could see the glowing exit sign. He glanced left, feeling like someone was reaching for him again. There was no one there but in the far corner of the room he saw person in clown mask again. They seemed to be watching Eddie and Richie from the shadows, unconcerned by the rest of the actors or the performance. 

Eddie swallowed hard, about to tell Richie when the person vanished. Actor, he told himself. Just a really fucking dedicated actor who had decided to make the night hell for Eddie. 

But every time he said that less of him believed it. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. 

They left the house and Eddie could see that Richie was about to say something but Audra caught them first.  “That one was better!” She said, waving to them. 

“Where are Roy and Taylor?” Richie asked, looking around. “Eds and I got trapped, I thought for sure we’d be out last.”

Bill shrugged, asking them what they saw in the house. Eddie was only half listening, watching the crowds move around them. He still felt like they were being watched. He suppressed a shudder, reminding himself that the scariest thing here was his own imagination.

Over ten minutes later Roy finally walked over, dusty and tired looking. “What the hh-hell happened to you?” Bill asked.

“We ended up in some weird sewer like place.” Roy said, brushing himself off. “Had to crawl through dust and muck.” He looked at th group, frowning. “Where’s Taylor?”

“Lost your girlfriend to a zombie? It’s because they wanted her for her brains.” Richie joked, making Bill roll his eyes. 

But Roy was shaking his head. “No, we got split up. I thought for sure she’d be here before me.” He craned his neck, looking again for his girlfriend. 

“Weird.” Eddie said, also looking around. He didn’t see her anywhere. 

“Maybe she went to the next house.” Audra suggested. “Did you text her?” 

“Muh-maybe she found someone more attractive and d-ditched you.” Bill said joking. 

“Har Har.” Roy replied, playfully hitting Bill. “I’m sure she’ll show up. Maybe her mom called and she didn’t want to make us listen to their argument. Let’s go to the next house, we’ll find her.”

Eddie’s heart rate had returned to normal by the time they were at the next house. He was listening to Bill and Richie argue about which Halloween movie was the best. The answer was obvious to Eddie, they were all terrible.

They stopped in front of the carnival house, which was playing creepy, slightly out of tune fair music. The entrance was a giant clown mask and Eddie saw Richie pause, frowning at it. “Do you want to skip this one?” Eddie asked, knowing how Richie felt about clowns.

Richie shook his head. “No, it’s a dumb fear anyway. It’s not like clowns can hurt me, I’ll be fine.” 

Eddie nodded, still seeing the unhappiness etched on Richie’s face. He grabbed Richie’s hand, threading their fingers together. “I’m scared, keep me close.” Eddie said. He wasn’t really lying and the look on Richie’s face was well worth the half truth. 

They entered the carnival house as a group, first going through a series of fun house mirrors that may them impossibly tall and then squat and square. Bill and Roy teased each other throughout and Audra commented that Eddie was finally taller than Richie. 

Eddie was starting to again relax as they entered the next area. This was a mirror maze, dark and ominous where the last room had been bright and cheery. Richie immediately strode forward and into a mirror and Eddie started laughing. “Richie you are not allowed to lead.” Eddie said, taking his hand again. “You’re blind under the best circumstance.”

Richie grinned down at him. “Then by all means, lead the way Sir Eddie.”

They were soon separated from the rest of the group. Eddie was enjoying this house, there were occasional jump scares in the mirror maze- ring masters at dead ends, someone in a jack in the box that sprung at them as they walked past- but overall the focus was on the maze and not on the scares.

It helped that every turn Richie took was into a solid glass wall. “You’re going to break your glasses,” Eddie told him after the fifth time he smacked into a wall.

“I’m fine,” Richie said, holding his nose. It was dark enough that Eddie couldn’t tell if he actually was. 

They were winding through the maze and Eddie again felt someone was near them. He turned and was relieved when he saw a fake two headed person waving at them in a mirror. He nearly laughed but his expression changed to horror as the person in the clown mask appeared behind the two headed person, giving Eddie a small wave as he crowded against Richie. 

“What?” Richie asked, turning to face the figure. He frowned, “I hate clowns.” He strode forward, taking his hand out of Eddie’s. 

“What are you doing?” Eddie squeaked, reaching out to pull Richie back. 

“It’s fine.” He walked up to the two figures. The clown tilted his head, watching Richie. “Your costumed isn’t even that good. You only have the mask. Were you late for rehearsal? Got the bottom of the barrel?”

The figured shrugged and Richie continued. “For real, do you you even have a weapon?”

“Richie let’s go, please don’t taunt them.” Eddie gritted out.

“Eds it’s fine, they expect this.” Richie said, turning to the two headed figure. “Right?” Boh heads bobbed in agreement. 

Richie looked back at the clown, “So do you? Have a weapon?” The clown hesitated and then pulled out a long knife. It glinted in the red and blue lighting.

“A knife? Come on, what clown carries a knife?” 

“Richie please,” Eddie begged, watching the clown examine the knife. 

Richie turned again, smiling at him. “Eddie, we’re in the carnival house, remember? And I’m supposed to be the one scared by clowns, you’re the tough guy.”

Eddie shook his head. “I want to leave.” He said, aware at how meek his voice was. “Please.” He might be wrong but being teased was a small price to pay if he was right. 

Richie glanced at the clown once more then nodded, “Let’s find the others.” 

Eddie breathed a sigh of relief. He kept looking over his shoulder but the clown didn’t follow them. 

They made their way out of the house and didn’t see the others. Eddie looked at his phone and saw a text from Bill. ‘At insane asylum house, meet up there.’

“I can go, if you want to stay here.” Richie offered, reading the same text. 

“No, I definitely don’t want to be alone.” Eddie said, looking around. He half expected to see the clown lurking behind a bush. 

“Come on Eds, we’ll find them and leave. We can go get burgers or something.” Richie said, throwing an arm around Eddie. He didn’t want to admit how comforting it was. He appreciated that Richie was okay leaving. He thought about protesting but couldn’t make himself. He hated this place and the sooner he was back in the car the better. 

They made their way to the next house, going inside in hopes of catching up with Bill and Roy sooner. The house was filled with wailing people in straight jackets and bird cages on their heads running at them, cackling. He hated this. It was loud and chaotic. He almost wished he had stayed outside. Eddie pressed closer to Richie.

But they were abruptly ripped apart as two people dressed as orderlies grabbed them,

“It’s time for your treatment son, you know that the pills make you better.” The one who grabbed Eddie said. His hands gripped Eddie’s shoulders tightly. 

“Richie! No!” Eddie said, struggling against the person’s grip. He looked up at the actor, “You don’t understand! Please!” He heard Richie making the same arguments, though with more cursing.

The man ignored Eddie. “Now son, it’s time for your pills, you know you need them.” Eddie paled and reminded himself that this man was just an actor, he didn’t know anything about Eddie. He had a script and was repeating it. This time it didn’t help. Eddie felt cold fear rush through him at the mention of pills and treatment. He thought back to his mom, and all the pills she had forced down his throat for years. 

In the time it had taken Eddie to process that the man had thrown him in a dark room. “The doctor will see you soon.” He said and Eddie heard the door lock behind him. 

Eddie scrambled to his feet, pounding on the door, “Let me out! This is serious! Please! Something’s wrong!”  No one came. Desperately Eddie tried to remember the word that would make someone let him out but he couldn’t remember it. He hadn’t been paying attention when it was explained. “Bandana? Barbeque? What the fuck was it?” He pounded on the door, “Let me out! Banana? Fuck!”

No one came. He wasn’t even sure if the man was still there. Eddie stopped pounding, trying to catch his breath. He didn’t hear anything. It seemed like he was alone.

He looked around the room, debating what to do. 

Then, the wall slid open, revealing a secret passage. It was pitch black. Steeling himself, he stepped in, pulling out his phone and turning on the flashlight. He reminded himself that this was part of the haunted house, splitting them up was scarier. It had nothing to do with the person in the clown mask or his fear of doctors and pills. 

He made his way down the winding tunnel, hoping that he would connect with Richie at the other end. After what felt like forever he came to another door, pushing it open he saw he was in an old fashioned operating theatre. In the center was Taylor, strapped to the table.

“Taylor!” He rushed over, looking at her. Blood was running down her temple but otherwise she seemed unharmed. “Are you okay? Can you hear me?” He shook her, trying to be gentle but he was terrified. 

Her eyes slowly flicked open and Eddie saw that they were bloodshot. It looked like she had trouble focusing on him. “Eddie?” She asked, licking her dry lips. “What- where am I?” She tried to sit up but she was strapped down. “What the fuck?” She said, raising her head and looking down. 

Eddie looked at the straps. All of them had thick padlocks on them, he tried rustling them, not surprised when it didn’t help.

“I don’t know but I’ll get you out.” He told her, looking around the room. 

“Is this part of Scarefest? Some extra intense bullshit?” She asked, watching him as he walked away. 

He was pulling open drawers, annoyed to find that all of them were empty. “Why the fuck are these props and your chains real?” He asked, turning back to her helplessly. “I don't know what to do.” They were in a circle of light in an otherwise dark room. He was sure there was a door out but didn’t want to leave Taylor. 

“It’s probably fine Eddie, it’s just part of the show.” She wasn’t nearly as concerned as him. 

“Then why are you bleeding?” He asked, taking his shirt cuff and wiping off her forehead. He showed her the smear of blood.

“Overzealous employee?” She asked. She looked around, turning her head as much as she could. “Just go, finish the house, tell Roy.” 

Eddie wanted to argue. He didn’t think that he should be leaving her but also didn’t think he could do anything. 

“Are you sure?” He asked, needing the confirmation.

She was about to answer when someone stepped out from the darkness across from Eddie. If it had been someone dressed in bloody scrubs Eddie wouldn’t have been worried, he would have known that it was part of the show. Instead, it was someone dressed in all black, wearing a clown mask. 

“You!” Eddie cried, rushing forward towards Taylor. 

But his arms were caught. He twisted, looking behind him. It was another person, wearing the same outfit, the same mask. 

“What are you doing?” He asked as the first person strode towards Taylor. She was whipping her head from them to Eddie. 

“Eddie- is this- what is that?” She asked, sounding afraid for the first time. Then the first clown pulled out a butcher knife, brandishing it.

“I don’t know. I don't think it’s part of the show though.” Eddie said, unable to take his eyes off the knife. It was real. It had none of the plastic, fake sheen that others that night had had. 

The clown closed in on Taylor, running the blade down her cheekbone, a thin line of blood welling up behind it. To her credit, Taylor didn’t scream. She struggled, trying to move away, but there was nowhere to go.

“What are you doing this?” He asked, watching in horror as the knife sliced her arm, another line of blood appearing. 

The clown looked at him, cocking it’s head but not answering. Then it focused back on Taylor, dragging the knife across her throat. Not enough to harm her but now she screamed, a low, long wail escaping her.

Eddie struggled with renewed intensity, twisting and trying to stomp on his captors food. “Taylor!” He screamed. “No! Don’t hurt her! She hasn’t done anything!” 

The clown glanced at him and shrugged then look back at her. This time he raised the knife and thrust it down, into her stomach. Eddie wasn’t sure who screamed louder, him or Taylor. Blood spurted as the knife was pulled out, some hitting Eddie in the face and splashing on his shirt. Rather than waiting for Taylor’s reaction the clown plunged the knife in again and again, coating themselves in her blood.

Eventually Eddie was aware that the only screams were his own. Taylor was silent, he head lolled to the side, unblinking. 

“What the fuck?” He screamed. His voice was hoarse and he hated how weak it sounded. The clown started walking over to him, producing a handkerchief and black bag from his pockets. “Why? Why did you do that? You asshole! You-” He had more to say but the handkerchief was stuffed in his mouth and the bag put over his head. He was silent and plunged into darkness. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He shook his head and so did Richie. “We’re with you.” Richie said.
> 
> “Until the end,” added Eddie.

Eddie struggled as he was dragged to another room. He twisted and wiggled around, trying to escape. It didn’t matter. The hands on him were firm. He was shoved roughly into a chair, his hands and feet strapped in. The attacker didn’t say anything as Eddie screamed through the gag. Finally, he felt them let him go and the bag was pulled off his head.

His eyes snapped open and he looked around the room. It was a dingy off white room. There was a viewing window in front of him but the other room was dark, he couldn’t see into it. The room he was in was illuminated by a lone naked bulb directly above him. Looking down he saw that his hands and ankles were strapped to a chair. As he continued to look he realized he was in an electric chair. His head was nestled in a metal helmet. The viewing area was meant for people to watch the person as they fried. The thought made his blood run cold. He could see the panel to his left, the imposing switch turned to ‘Off’. 

But he was still in the haunted house, right? There was no way that the chair was actually powered. Eddie really didn’t want to find out. He struggled against the straps but it didn’t matter. They were thick, cutting into his hands and ankles. Working a bit, he spit out the gag and started screaming, hoping someone would hear him and know that it wasn’t part of the show.

“Hello! Help! Audra? Bill? Richie!!” 

As he called he worried that the wrong person would find him. What if the killer heard him and came back? Eddie didn’t know why they had left him alone after killing Taylor. It didn’t make sense. 

“Eddie?” He finally heard a familiar voice, calling from another room. “Where are you?” 

“Audra!” He screamed. “I’m in here! Help!”

He heard the door open and tried to crane his head but couldn’t, restrained by the helmet. 

“Eddie!” Audra appeared in the corner of his vision. “What the hell?” She asked, moving to see him better. “Is this part of the house?” 

“Get me out!” He cried. “Hurry! Please!” He didn’t know if they kiler would come back and he didn’t want to risk his and Audra’s life. 

She started to undo his right hand as Eddie explained. “Taylor is dead, I don’t- there’s someone here. It sounds crazy I know but something is happening! Something bad! We need to go. Now.” Eddie was rambling but he didn’t care, he wanted to make her understand, she needed to believe him. She finished and Eddie started on his left hand while she moved to his feet. “Where’s Bill?” He asked, realizing she was alone.

“We got shoved into different rooms, I was looking for him when I heard you.” She said, finishing one of his feet.

“Do you believe me?” He asked, his head was finally free and he looked around frantically for a weapon or anything to use in case the clown returned. There was nothing. 

Audra looked up at him as she moved onto his other foot. He saw her hesitation and knew she didn’t. “I believe that you’re scared. And I found you tied up. That’s enough for me.” 

“Taylor is dead,” He repeated. He wanted her to believe him. He needed someone to. “We need to leave.” He put as much weight into his voice as he could, hoping she heard his sincerity. 

“We will.” She said, standing as she finished undoing the straps. “Should we text them? They’re probably out of the house by now.” She asked, watching Eddie stand. He nodded and both pulled out their phones, tapping out quick messages to their friends before walking to the door. He tried to stay silent but he felt like his heart was beating loud enough that it could be heard from several rooms away.  If he had wanted to get out before it was nothing compared to now. His shirt was tacky from Taylor’s blood and he wanted to vomit. 

They peered out the door and started walking. Eddie debated explaining more to Audra but couldn’t bring himself to. He didn’t want her to know the details. She and Taylor were close.  _ They used to be, _ he reminded himself. 

He couldn’t shake the feeling that something felt off as they snuck through the house. It felt too convenient that Audra had found him and helped him escape. Why had they left him alone? And where were Richie and Bill? Eddie was trying not to worry but he couldn’t stop. His mind kept replaying what he had seen, Taylor’s last moments. 

_ Fuck Richie, text me back _ . He silently pleaded. He needed to know that the others were okay. What if Richie was watching Bill die in another room? He felt himself spiraling and made himself stop and focus. Thinking about the worst case scenario wouldn’t help anyone. 

The pair finally made it out of the house and Eddie breathed a sigh of relief, being back outside and able to see around him. Then his phone buzzed. It was Bill. 

‘We’re all at the slaughterhouse, where’d you go?’ 

Audra looked at her phone then him. “Do you want to wait? We could just wait for them to come out.”

That was exactly what Eddie wanted but they couldn’t do that. He shook his head. “We need to find them.” He was terrified about what could happen while they were separated. “Just, don’t leave me.” He asked and Audra nodded.

The slaughterhouse was a large, warehouse like building that you went through at your own pace. It was the largest and supposedly best house. They had a whole building devoted to it. Bill had offered to wait in the ‘reception’ area.  

Audra slipped her hand into his and they went in. Eddie tried to ignore the fake blood that was spattered on the floor and walls but kept thinking about how very fake it looked. He knew what real blood looked like, how it splattered. It was nothing like this corn syrup mix. His stomach churned to think of it. Just find them and leave, he told himself. Don’t focus on anything else. 

Thankfully, their friends were in the second room, talking and laughing. Without thinking, Eddie rushed to Richie, throwing himself into Richie’s arms. Richie caught him, pulling him close. “Eds, you okay?” He asked quietly, looking from him to Audra. 

Eddie shook his head, unable to suppress the relief he felt at seeing Richie again. He didn’t move for a minute, letting Richie rub his back and hold him as Audra explained how she found him. 

“Eds?” Richie looked down at him as she finished, his eyes full of concern. “Is that true? That’s what happened?” Eddie nodded, not trusting his voice. Audra hadn’t even covered the part about Taylor. Eddie would have to tell them. He wasn’t sure he could handle Roy’s reaction, whether he believed Eddie or not. 

“You’ve been telling me all night that something was off and I didn’t believe you.” Richie muttered so only Eddie could hear. “I’m so sorry Eds.” 

Eddie forced himself to look into Richie’s eyes, seeing the naked guilt. “We should have left.” Richie said, putting a hand to Eddie’s cheek. “I should have listened.” For a second he thought that Richie was going to kiss him but then he heard a cough and was reminded where they were. 

He detached himself from Richie and turned to the others. “There’s more.” He said. He felt Richie put a hand on his shoulder. Eddie told them what happened to Taylor. He could see that they didn’t believe him. Bill and Roy kept interrupting him and Audra just leaned against Bill, not speaking.

“Eddie, that’s ludicrous. It doesn’t make any sense.” Roy said, giving a stifled laugh as he looked from him to the others. “Come on. We’re in a haunted house, it’s supposed to be scary.” 

“I don’t care if you believe me.” Eddie said, “I just want to leave.” He wasn’t going to spend time convincing them, they’d know soon enough. 

Richie squeezed his shoulder and spoke. “I’m with Eddie. Let’s go.”

“We have to go through the house.” Bill said. “They won’t let us back out.”

Eddie bit back a groan, looking down the dark hallway. He felt Richie beside him. “I’m here Eds, we can do this.” Richie’s hand slipped into his, giving him some comfort. “You ready? Just ten minutes and we’ll be out and we never have to come back.”

Eddie nodded, following Bill and Audra with Roy behind him. The house was themed as a human slaughterhouse. The first room was a giant conveyor belt moving slowly past them that held buckets of feet and hands. Eddie couldn’t stop himself from checking every bucket to see if the parts looked real. Thankfully, they all seemed fake but it didn’t stop Eddie from squeaking and ducking at every noise. He was tense, he could feel the tightness in his shoulders and breath. Richie pulled him closer, keeping him protectively tucked under an arm. 

They were nearly through the first room when Eddie heard a yelp. Turning around, he saw Roy being dragged off by someone in a clown mask and blood covered apron. Their hand was over over Roy’s mouth, stifling any cries. Roy’s eyes were wide and panicked and he was struggling to get away but it wasn’t working. The capture was larger and had a better grip on him. 

“No!” Eddie yelled, bolting after them. He wasn’t sure if he could help but he couldn’t just let Roy be taken. The masked figure went through a propped open door, which slammed shut behind them. Eddie reached it a second after it closed and tried to pull it open but found he couldn't, the door had locked behind them.

“You saw that right?” He asked Richie, who had run after him and was now staring dumbly at the door. 

Richie nodded dumbly. “Shit, there really is a guy in a clown mask.” 

“No shit.” Eddie said, feeling vindicated in the worst way. Then he glanced behind Richie, “Where are Bill and Audra?”

Richie turned, their other friends were nowhere to be seen. “ _ Fuck _ .”

“Don’t you dare say we should split up.” Eddie told him, moving closer to Richie. He couldn’t handle being alone again. 

“Oh hell no, I’m not letting you out of my sight.” Richie said, taking his hand again. “But we need to find them.” 

Eddie nodded. “How?”

Richie looked around. There were three doors. One was the one Roy went through and it was locked. Another lead to more of the house. One was where they came through. 

Richie turned to him, apologetically. “I think we have to keep going.”

“I fucking hate this.” Eddie told him, turning to look at the next room. “I hate all of this.” He was surprised he hadn’t had a breakdown yet. It still felt surreal, like this couldn’t really be happening. The strangeness of the whole thing was probably the only thing holding him together. 

“I know babe.” Richie said, kissing his hair. 

Eddie looked up at him, unable to deny the flip his stomach did at the tenderness of the gesture. “Babe?” He asked, smirking at Richie. 

Who turned bright red. “Well you always yell at me for Spaghetti and Eds, thought I’d try something new.”

“I like it.” He said shyly, watching as Richie brightened. He knew that Richie was the only person who could make him forget about the horrible situation they were in, if only for a minute. 

“Well,  _ babe _ , let’s go find our friends.” Richie said, opening the next door for Eddie and ushering him through. This was earlier in the slaughter process than the other one, where fake bodies were being brought to large spinning blades and cut up. It was closer to what may happen in a lumber factory than a slaughterhouse but Eddie guessed accuracy didn’t matter. 

Eddie liked this one even less, even though, again, it was all mannequins and recorded screams. He didn’t like hearing the blades whirring, thinking about the sharpness of them. They started walking through, Eddie looking at the ground and ignoring the wails. Until he heard one he recognized. 

“That’s Bill!” Eddie said, his head popping up. 

“Where?” Richie asked, whipping his head to look. 

There were lines and line of bodies on a conveyor belt, all being brought closer to the blades. Eddie tried to listen over the other noises. “Bill!” He screamed, looking around frantically. He couldn’t see his friend.

“Eddie!” He heard the voice on his left and took off running, pulling Richie with him.

“Bill?” He called again when he still didn’t see him. 

“Eddie! Richie! Help!” This time Richie pulled him. Eddie could finally see Bill in the dim light. He was tied down between two dolls, only four places away from the blade.

“Fuck! Bill!” Eddie said, running to him and looking at the ropes. Richie went to the machine, trying to shut it off. 

“Where’s Audra?” Bill asked, squirming under the knots. They were tight, Eddie tried to pluck them but couldn’t. His fingers couldn’t get in them to undo them, especially since he had to keep up with the moving belt. 

“I don’t know.” Eddie said. “Do you have a knife? Anything?” Bill shook his head, craning to look at the oncoming blade. “Richie?” Eddie yelled. 

Richie shook his head, still looking at the giant display of buttons and settings. “I’ve got nothing- Wait!” He reached in his pocket and tossed something to Eddie, who, luckily, caught it. It was a lighter. Better than nothing.

Eddie started burning one of the ropes holding Bill’s wrist. “I’m so sorry Eddie. We should have believed you. Someone just came up behind us and dragged us away. It all happened so fast I didn’t even see where everyone else went.” Bill was rambling but Eddie tried to focus, ignoring that Bill was only two spots away from the blade. He flinched as the flame got too close.

“Sorry.” Eddie said but the rope was finally weak enough for Bill to break through.

“Don’t worry, better than becoming stew meat.” Bill said, moving to his other hand and trying to undo it. 

Eddie moved to his feet, burning the roped there. “Fuck Eddie, we should have left hours ago. What if the others aren’t okay?” The panic was rising in Bill’s voice and Eddie didn’t blame him. Richie was swearing at the machine in the background, kicking it and screaming. 

Eddie couldn’t stop himself from glancing at Richie, making sure that he was still standing there. “I don’t know Bill, one thing at a time. We’ve got to save you first.” 

“I just-” Bill started but Eddie shook his head. 

“Don’t. Okay, don’t. Just focus on untying your hand.” Eddie glance at the blade. It seemed so much louder each step he took, the whirring was nearly all he could hear. 

Eddie finally got through one leg as the doll in front of Bill hit the blade, bits of plastic flying near him. Bill wasn’t having any luck with his hand and Eddie could feel sweat dripping down his face as he tried to go faster. But the tiny flame couldn’t burn the ropes any faster and they were out of time. The blade was through the doll and moved onto them.

“Eddie- I-” Bill started to say and suddenly the machine shut down, silencing the area. 

Eddie heard Richie yell with satisfaction. “Fucking nailed it! Look at that!” He ran over, grinning. “You owe me a life debt now Billiam, that’s how this works.”

Bill laughed shakily, looking at the slowing blade. “You couldn’t have cut it a little less close?”

“Nah, dramatic effect.” Richie said, coming over to Eddie’s side and starting to work on the ropes around Bill’s wrist.

“Nice work.” Eddie said, turning to smile at Richie as he finished undoing Bill’s leg. 

“Did you doubt me?”

“Constantly.” 

Richie frowned, “Ouch, Eddie Spaghetti gets off a good one.”

“Stop flirting, we have missing friends!” Bill said, “And I’m right here.”

“We’re not flirting.” Eddie mumbled, moving the flame to the last rope. 

“No we’re in love Bill my dear, you need to accept it. It’s a dark time and I can’t go a minute without telling my Eddie how I feel.” Richie said. 

Eddie saw Bill roll his eyes but he didn’t reply. The three were buoyed by saving Bill. Eddie let himself feel hopeful for just a minute. Maybe that was the game, once you saved someone it was over for them. He hoped so at least. 

Once Bill was freed they moved onto the next room which was cold. A blast of frigid air hit Eddie as the door opened. It was the meat locker, where slabs of meat hung. Normally it would be cows or sheep hung on giant hooks but, of course, here it was humans. They had to navigate through it. 

The three clung together, looking left and right every step, waiting to be attacked again. They were quiet but Eddie could hear Bill’s heavy breathing and Richie’s quietly uttered swear words whenever a doll moved. As for himself, Eddie was trying to say silent, he didn’t want to give away their location and part of his brain told him that as long as he was quiet he’d be safe. It made sense in a strange way and Eddie was clinging to it. Until Bill cried out. ‘Roy!” and shattered Eddie’s illusion.

Bill ran ahead and Eddie and Richie followed, Richie pushing Eddie slightly behind him and keeping a protective hand on him. Soon though, Eddie saw what Bill had found. It was Roy, stripped down to his boxers and hung up by his shoulder on a meat hook. The hook was embedded between his shoulder blades, the skin ripped and jagged around it. There was a puddle of blood on the floor, with more dripping down. Roy wasn’t moving, just swaying slightly as the hook moved. His eyes were closed and Eddie couldn’t see his chest rising or falling. 

“Oh god,” Richie said quietly, staring at their friend. “Fuck. Is he-”

As Richie started to ask the question Roy took a shuddering, pained breath, scaring the boys. Richie leapt back in surprise. 

“He’s alive?!” Eddie said, running to him. Now that he was closer he could see the shallow breathing. Roy was alive, barely. It looked like he was having trouble breathing from the angle of the hook. Eddie wondered if it had punctured a lung. 

“We have to get him down!” Bill said, standing next to Eddie and looking from him to Richie. Richie nodded and grabbed Roy’s legs, feet skidding in the blood. As he did Roy let out a long pained groan and Richie stopped, looking frantically at them.

“How- what do we do?” Richie asked, letting go of Roy. “It’s hurting him.” He glanced at Roy again, who didn’t seem to know they were there. 

Eddie glanced at Bill, who was looking from Roy to the door. He could tell that Bill was thinking about Audra and what could be happening to her. “Let’s just- we have to lift him off. We’ll go from there.” Bill said, moving beside Richie.

They counted and on three both lifted. Roy made a terrible gasping noise but they managed to lift him off the hook. It was clear he couldn’t stand. He was barely conscious so the pair brought Roy to the corner, placing him down. Eddie tried not to look at the gaping wound in his back. 

“What do we do?” Richie asked again. Eddie wasn’t sure that there was much he could do. Roy looked awful, he didn’t even seem to know that they were there. He couldn’t walk and Eddie didn’t know if he’d be okay even if they got him to a hospital.

“I need to find Audra.” Bill said, not looking at Roy. 

“We can’t just leave him.” Richie said. “The poor fuck is barely breathing.” Richie and Bill argued back and forth for a minute about what to do, going over their options. 

Then both turned to look at Eddie, who hadn’t spoken. He shook his head. He knew what Richie wanted- for Eddie to stay here and get Roy out. But he couldn’t. “I’m not staying alone with him.” He glanced down at Roy and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. “I’m not sure it matters anyway.” 

Richie’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

Eddie knelt down, pressing his fingers to Roy’s neck. “There’s no pulse. I think he’s- I think we-” He couldn’t make himself say it but both seemed to understand. Richie pulled Eddie back up into a hug, turning him away from the body that, minutes ago, had been their friend. Eddie let Riche hold him, he wasn’t sure how much more he could take before breaking. All of this had happened so quickly and all Eddie wanted to do was grab Richie’s hand and run. He drew a shaky breath, trying not to cry. 

Then he glanced at Bill. whose jaw had tightened and fists were clenched. “I’m going to find Audra. You two can leave though, I get it.” His eyes softened slightly as he looked at them. “Watch out for each other okay?”

Eddie desperately wanted to agree, he wanted to leave this park and go home. But he knew that wasn’t the solution. He shook his head and so did Richie. “We’re with you.” Richie said.

“Until the end,” added Eddie.

Bill gave them a tight smile. “Onward we go then.” He glanced at Roy once more and said, “We’ll tell someone about him after we find Audra.” Both nodded and Bill started to walk purposefully to the next room.

“Are you sure Eds?” Richie asked, “You’ve been through a lot tonight.”

“I feel safer with you than I would anywhere else.”

Richie swallowed, watching Eddie with warm eyes. Then he gave him a half smile. “Thought I was useless in situations like this?”

Eddie wanted to make a joke about how he’d just shove Richie in front of the killer and run but it felt wrong with the body of their friend behind them. So instead he reached up and lightly kissed Richie’s cheek. “I was wrong.” 

Edde wanted to laugh at the shocked expression on Richie’s face. For once, Richie was speechless, just gaping at Eddie. He vowed that, if they survived this, he was going to tell Richie exactly how he felt. Life was too short. 

The small group went into the next room, which was fashioned into corrals, supposedly leading the victims into the slaughterhouse. The boys looked at each other. “I’m not splitting up.” Eddie said. 

Richie nodded in agreement and Bill picked a middle corral. The space was dark, sticky ropes hung down, soaked in fake blood. Eddie tried to avoid them but he could feel them slapping his face and cheeks, leaving wet lines. 

Some of the other lines had mannequins with audio tapes of people screaming as they moved forward. Eddie strained to tell if any of the screaming was real but he couldn’t tell. 

He finally saw the end of the line but still no sign of Audra. It funneled them into a large pit, with grisly half dead cows and mannequins in various states of torture that they needed to navigate around. Eddie watched Bill’s head whip around, straining for any sign of Audra. But there was nothing. All he could see in the dim light was the dolls and props. The room was large but he couldn’t hear any out of place sounded. 

Eddie looked too but it was harder because he couldn’t see over all the props. Then he had an idea. He crouched, looking under all the legs to see if Audra was on the ground. He saw a wriggling figure on the ground, far from them.

“Bill! I think I see her!” 

Bill was instantly at his side and Eddie pointed. The group started working their way over, navigating the small spaces. 

As they did Eddie felt Richie’s hand slip from his. Turning around, he saw that a masked figure had grabbed Richie. Richie was fighting, kicking and trying to bite the hand that covered his mouth, but it wasn’t working. He was being dragged away.

“Bill!” Eddie said, stopping and staring at them. 

“Go get Richie!” Bill told him. “We’ll find you!” 

Eddie nodded and turned, knocking over the props as he dashed to Richie. He could see that Richie’s eyes were huge as he struggled. He shook his head as Eddie followed them, trying to tell him to stay away but there was no way in hell Eddie was letting this happen. The figure was so much bigger than him and was dragging him easily. 

Eddie thought about the friends he had already lost that night and tried to move faster. Richie wouldn’t be one of them. He couldn’t be. 

He could see them angling towards a door and knew that if they made it through it he’d lose Richie. He didn’t want to think about what sort of sick scenario he’d find Richie in if he did. Putting on another burst of speed he finally reached them, grabbing Richie’s outstretched hand and pulling. He wasn't stronger than the figure but he had the element of surprise. Richie wasn’t being held well and he slipped out, both boys and the figure tumbling to the ground as Richie was released. 

“Crawl!” Eddie whispered. Getting up wouldn’t help them but maybe they could lose the figure in the darkness. 

Richie nodded and the two started crawling. Eddie wanted to angle towards the exit but knew that would be expected. “There’s a door on the left wall, we’ll go there.” He whispered, glancing at Richie, who nodded. 

They moved as quietly as they could. Eddie could feel the fake blood and gore soaking into his pants and hands. It was disgusting but he was preoccupied by the crashing sounds behind him. It was hard to tell how close the figure was but it felt like they had a good lead. He just hoped that Bill had gotten Audra out. 

They made their way to the door, luckily staying far ahead of the masked murderer. As they reached the door Eddie realized that if they made it through it only meant more chasing and this person obviously knew the house better than them. 

“Richie,” He hissed, “Go right, hide under that tarp.” It was set up as a half tent, probably for actors to wait under. 

Richie clearly wanted to ask why but just nodded, shuffling to the space as Eddie went to the door. Eddie sat up on his knees and pulled the door open as wide as he could. In a loud, fake whisper he said, “Go Richie! Hurry!” Before letting it swing shut. 

He hoped it was enough to make the murderer believe that they had gone through it. Not sparing a second he crawled over to Richie, trying to move silently to sit by him. 

“Good plan Eds.” Richie whispered in his ear. Even with all this, Eddie couldn’t stop himself from leaning into Richie. Richie had moved next to him, crowding Eddie’s space in the best way possible. He grabbed Richie’s hand, holding it tightly as they watched the door. He barely dared to breath as they watched the killer walk to it. 

The door swung open again and Eddie watched as the killer strode through it. Once it closed Eddie exhaled, letting his shoulders sag. 

“We did it.” He said, turning to look at Richie. 

“You did it.” Richie told him. Their faces were close and all Eddie could focus on was Richie’s eyes. Eddie didn’t think his heart could beat any faster but was proved wrong as he leaned in, capturing Richie’s lips in a sudden kiss. He intended to pull back but Richie’s hand curled in his hair, keeping him close as he kissed Eddie back. 

They parted, Richie pressing his forehead to Eddie's. “Finally.” Richie said, smiling at him. 

Eddie let out a small laugh. “You could have kissed me years ago.” 

He watched as a sarcastic reply started then died on Richie’s lips. Instead he nodded. “I should have.”

Eddie’s heart sang and he wanted to move closer, to crawl on Richie’s lap and stay there, in this strange place that felt almost safe, at least compared to everywhere else. But he knew he couldn’t. They needed to find their friends and leave. “Let’s get out of here, so we can keep doing this somewhere safe.”

“Safe is much sexier.” Richie agreed, standing and offering Eddie a hand. They started again and Eddie let himself think about how different this was, holding Richie’s hand now. He wanted to stop Richie and kiss him again but knew it wasn’t a good idea. Once they were out he was planning to never let go of Richie again. 

They made their way to the final room. It was set up like a barn, with hay bales and blood drenched equipment on the side. 

“Guys!” Eddie heard from his left. Turning, he saw Bill, cradling Audra. 

They rushed over. “Are you okay?” Eddie asked them, though he could see they weren’t. Audra’s leg was bloody and mangled. Bill looked okay, he was covered in blood that Eddie guessed wasn’t his.

“She was wrapped in barbed wire.” Bill said. “I had to get her out.” As he spoke Eddie could see all the tiny cuts on his hands, soaked in blood. “I couldn’t carry her.” His voice caught as he spoke. Audra was still awake but Eddie could tell she was weak. 

“We can help.” Eddie said, leaning down and grabbing one of Audra’s arms. “We’ve got you.” He told her. 

She gave him a tired smile. “Thanks.” Richie grabbed her other arm, swinging it over his shoulder as they started walking. With some difficulty Bill stood too. Eddie wasn’t sure how badly he was hurt but guessed it was worse than it looked. 

“We can see the exit.” Eddie told Audra, trying to keep her awake. It was true, they were only about thirty feet away. 

As Eddie spoke two figured stepped in front of the door, both wearing clown masks and wielding large knives. 

“Oh come on!” Richie cried out. 

The figures started to advance on them and Eddie tried his best not to freeze. He whipped his head around, looking for anything to grab. “Hold her!” He told Richie, darting to the side and looking at the farm equipment. Most of it was fake, made of cheap, useless plastic but he hoped that there were one or two real things.

“Why- why are you doing this to us?” Audra asked. Eddie could hear the tears in her voice. She barely got the sentence out.

To his surprise one of the figures spoke. It was muffled through the mask but Eddie understood the words fine.

“Because you saw us first.” 

The words made Eddie’s blood run cold. Somehow, that was the worst answer. There was no rhythm or reason to it. All of this was because Eddie had happened to look over and see the clown mask first. It shook him. This was his fault, Taylor and Roy dying and now Audra and Bill being hurt. It was because of him. 

But he couldn't let himself lose focus. If he had started this he could finish it. He continued scanning the walls. Finally, he saw a few things that they may be able to use. He grabbed a pair of shearing scissors for sheep and a large scythe. 

“Richie! Catch!” He said, tossing Richie the scythe. Bill had taken Audra again, the two leaning against each other painfully. 

Richie caught it and turned to face the killers, putting himself between them and their friends. Eddie knew he needed to get them away from the door so the others could escape. 

In an act that was probably equal parts foolish and brave he ran at one of the killers. Hoping for the element of surprise again he raised the scissors, intent on jamming them into flesh.

The killer turned, seeing Eddie and raised a hand against him. Eddie ran the scissors through it, hearing a terrible squelching noise as they ran through. “Fuck kid!” The killer said with a distinctly feminine voice. 

As he did that the killer raised their other hand, swiping at Eddie with the knife and hitting his cheek. Eddie felt blood well up but ignored it, intent on striking again. He pulled back, hoping to hit something more crucial this time.

“Bill! Audra! Run!” He heard Richie cry. “Get help!” 

He made a mistake and glanced over at Richie. He had raised the scythe, swiping at the other killer. Richie had cut the hoodie, Eddie could see a line of ripped fabric, but the man was advancing on him.

In the time it took Eddie to glance over his figure recovered, changing from swiping to stabbing. She angled for Eddie’s stomach, trying to jam the blade into him but Eddie jumped back, it left him with only a shallow cut. 

“You’re fast kid.” The figure said. “Faster than your little friends. I’m glad we let you live. We wanted to hunt you more, it was too easy the first time. Glad your friend found you so I can end you like this.” 

“Fuck you.” He spat, raising the weapon again and looking for an opening. Eddie didn’t know how to fight. He wasn’t sure where to hit for the most damage or how to incapacitate her. But he had been beaten up for years. The Bower’s gang had taught him a few things. He knew how to move and twist away. He knew how to read moves and avoid punches. He may not fight well but he had fantastic self preservation skills.

He only hoped that Richie did too. 

He wouldn’t let himself look at Richie, trying to focus on his own fight. Eddie almost avoided another swipe to his gut but this one caught his arm, leaving another long slice on it. He yelped in pain and the woman laughed maliciously. 

Eddie tried to stab them with the scissors but she darted back. He barely caught her arm with the edge of the blade. 

This continued for what felt like forever. Eddie was losing ground, he could feel himself backing up, getting closer to the previous room. But he couldn’t stop fighting. Occasionally, out of the corner of his eye, he could see Richie. He was still fighting too but it looked like he was slowing down. Eddie wasn’t sure but he thought Richie was bleeding, it looked like there was a long gash across his chest. 

“Give up kid.” The figure spoke again. “It was a good fight but you’re losing. And you know it. No one is coming to save you, we locked all the doors so no one else could get in here. Wanted to have you kids all to ourselves for this. Just give up.”

Eddie eyes narrowed as he focused again. “Never.” He spat. He tried to open the shears, closing them on her arm. It didn’t cut through but he heard her cry of pain and saw the blood as he drew them back.

Infuriated, she attacked again, slashing wildly at him. It was erratic and normally Eddie could have dodge it easily. But he was weary, his body protesting the quick dodges and moves. He could feel each of the cuts she made, wounds opening wider as he ducked and squirmed away. 

Finally she moved too quick for him to dodge, cutting wide across his stomach. Gasping, Eddie fell back and onto the ground. 

“Got you now.” She said, looming over him. 

Eddie had one move left. Holding the shears in both hands he jammed them into her stomach. There was a satisfying sound as he did so, the shears going through fabric and flesh. She gasped and staggered backwards, the weapon still in her stomach. Eddie tried to stand again but cried out as he did. Looking down he saw that the cut was deeper than he had thought. 

But he couldn’t think about. He forced himself to stand. His attacker had fallen down, the shears still embedded in her stomach. Eddie stood over her and pulled them out. “You should have messed with another group.” He growled, plunging the shears in again and hearing her death wail. 

Eddie didn’t let himself enjoy his victory. Instead, he turned to see how Richie’s fight was going. To his dismay, Richie was losing. It looked like the killer was just taunting him, taking slow swipes at him while Richie moved feebly away. 

“Stay away from my boyfriend!” Eddie screamed, grabbing the shears again he ran to the killer. He barely had time to turn around and Eddie was stabbing him in the side, driving the shears in as far as he could. The man groaned and fell. Eddie stood over him, waiting to see if he would rise. When he didn’t, Eddie ran to Richie, who was holding his side painfully but also smiling at him.

“Boyfriend huh? Awfully presumptuous.” 

Eddie swung Richie’s arm over his shoulder, eager to get them out. “Didn’t think you’d mind, since I was saving your life and all.” He turned them towards the door, half dragging Richie with him. 

“Nah, it’s kinda hot.” Richie said, leaning into Eddie. “Rescuing me at the last minute. All sexy like.”

Eddie let out a small laugh. “Only you would find this sexy.” He pulled Richie outside and was immediately blasted by the sound of sirens and red and blue lights.

“Eddie! Richie!” He turned and saw Bill, who was getting his hands wrapped up. He sprang away, running to them. “Fuck, you’re okay. They wouldn’t let us back in. They were debating how to go in for forever, fucking taking their time!” Bill’s voice rose as he talked, obviously he intended to be overheard. “I can’t believe you two made it out.” He looked them both over with obvious concern.

“Me either.” Eddie replied honestly. He looked around. “Is Audra okay?” 

Bill nodded, pointing to an ambulance. “She’s in there. I’m going to ride with her, if you two are okay?”

“Go,” Richie said, “We’ll be fine.” 

Bill nodded and left, leaving Eddie and Richie to be swarmed by medics and TV cameras. The two refused to say anything, instead letting themselves be lead to another ambulance. 

“We’re riding together.” Eddie told the paramedic as she bandaged his cuts. He caught Richie’s eye and Richie nodded firmly. 

“After this, I’m never letting you out of my sight again.” Richie said, grabbing Eddie’s free hand with his. 

“And no more haunted houses.” Eddie insisted.

“And no more haunted houses,” Richie agreed, leaning his head on Eddie’s shoulder. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My amazing, wonderful friend (The_lazy_eye go read her fics) tried to get me to add smut into this. And if it wasn't, ya know, life or death I would have. Just assume there were some messy handjobs happening in Eddie's bed later that night after they went to the hospital. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Happy Halloween!

**Author's Note:**

> My fic for IHH!  
> The plan is for chap 2 to be out by Halloween (but no promises)  
> Come talk to me on tumblr [tinyarmedtrex](https://tinyarmedtrex.tumblr.com/)


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